Assembling apparatus



. Aug. 15 1944.

J. A. WAGNER ASSEMBLING APPARATUS I Filed June l5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //v VEN roe J A MGNER TTOlE/VEY Aug. 15, 1944. J. A. WAGNER ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed June 15, 1943' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm 3 mm WM &

A WN W m f /NVN7Q/ J r? WQGNER.

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 15, 1944 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Julius A. Wagner, Cleveland, ohio 'as'signor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 15, 1943, Serial No. 490,832

4 Claims.

This invention relates to assembling apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for assembling insulator discs on a core for use in making concentric conductor cables.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple and practicable apparatus for efficiently assembling discs on a core.

In accordance with the above object, one embodiment of the invention, as applied to the assembling of radially slit or slotted insulator discs on a central conductor of coaxial cable units, comprises a radially peripherally notched and grooved continuously rotating feed disc, a plunger at one position for withdrawing from a supply slotted discs, and inserting the same into alternate notches of the feed disc with the open ends of the slots in the discs facing outwardly, continuously advancing a central conductor around and in the groove of the feed disc and across the notches therein, means for pressing the conductor into the slots in the discs, a second plunger at another position for withdrawing, from a second supply, slotted discs, and inserting the same into alternate remaining notches in the feed disc with the open ends of the slots in the discs facing inwardly toward the conductor, means for pressing the latter slotted discs onto the conductor, and means movable with the feed disc coacting with movable means operatively connected to the plungers for causing simultaneous actuation thereof for inserting discs into the feed disc notches. 1

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig, 1 is a fragmentary vertical view, partly in section, of an apparatus for assembling slotted insulator discs on a central conductor of coaxial cable units, embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary irregular plan section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 2 showing the left hand plunger at the end of an operating stroke aft-er inserting a slotted disc into a feed disc notch and into engagement with the conductor;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing a slotted disc engaging the means for forcing the assembled discs onto the conductor;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 showing a slotted disc in its final position on the conductor after being moved by the forcing means of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 through means provided for holding the second supply of slotted discs;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 1-! of Fig. 1 showing the means for forcing the conductor into the slots of the discs assembled at one position in alternate notches of the feed disc;

, Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 1 through means provided for holding the first supply of slotted discs, and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a short length of central conductor with slotted insulator discs assembled thereon by means of the apparatus of this invention.

Referring to the drawings, particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, a main forward vertical supporting plate of the apparatus is fragmentarily indicated, at l5 having a bearing IS in which is journalled a shaft I1 to which are fixed, for rotation therewith, a feed disc I 8 and a cam disc I9 having a plurality of equally spaced cam lobes 22 extending completely around its periphery, the shaft being constantly rotated from a suitable source of power (not shown) Upon its periphery, the feed disc I8 is formed with a plurality of equally spaced radial notches 23, the width and depth of the notches being substantially the same as the thickness and diameter of insulator discs 24 (Figs. 1 and 9) which in the operation of the apparatus are assembled onto a central conductor 25 of a coaxial cable unit. The discs 24 are provided with slots 26 of such dimensions that, when pressed onto the conductor 25, they snap into position and grip the same so firmly that they are not easily displaced in subsequent handling operations. Formed in the periphery of the feed disc I8 is a groove 29, broken by each of the notches 23, for receiving the conductor 25 which extends around a portion of the periphery of the feed disc during the assembling or applying of the discs thereto, the feed disc' being rotated in the direction of the arrow (Fig. l). The upper end length of the conductor, as. shown in Fig. 1, is led from a supply (not shown) and its lower end length, with the insulator discs 24 thereon, is directed to a suitable takeup means (not shown). I

At each side of the feed disc l8 are stationary supply devices 30 and3| for the discs 24 which comprise, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, respectively, suitably shaped and supported vertical plates 32 hav g th free Outer ends 33 circular-like in cross-section which freely fit into the inner similar shaped ends of the slots 26 of the discs 24. The supply of discs 24 threaded onto each of the plates 32 are, thus, held in predetermined alignment with each other with the lowermost disc of each stack engaging the upper face of a stationary support 36 integral with the main vertical plate I5, the discs moving downwardly on each of the plates under the action of gravity or by a spring device, weight or other means (not shown), when the lowermost disc is removed in a manner to be presently described. Each support 35 is formed with a slideway 31 in its upper face in which rides a reciprocable plunger 38 fixed to one end of a carrier or slide 39 slidable upon opposite walls of an opening 40 in the vertical plate I5, the lowermost disc 24 of each supply of discs lying in the path of one of the plungers 38. The opposite end of the slide 39 at the opposite side of the plate I is fixed to an actuating member 43 reciprocably mounted in a slideway 44 formed in a support 45 integral with the vertical plate I5, the plungers and actuating members being retained in the slideways 31 and 44, respectively, by plates 46. At their inner ends, the plungers 43, which are in alignment with the continuously rotating cam disc I9, constantly engage the cam lobes 22 thereof through the action of compression springs 41 arranged between the outer ends of the plungers and lugs 50 integral with the vertical plate I5.

Fixed to the main vertical plate I5 at the top of the feed disc I8 is a presser plate or shoe 5| (Figs. 1 and 7) having its bottom edge so arranged relative to the upper peripheral face of the conductor 25 and the inner end walls of the slots 26 and the groove 29 in the discs 24 and the feed disc l8, respectively, that as the discs 24, supplied to the feed disc notches 23 from the supply device 3|, approach the shoe 5|, the conductor 25 will be positively guided into the disc slots 26 and forced past restricted portions 52 of the slots and against the inner end walls thereof, whereupon it will be firmly gripped to the conductor.

Arranged between the shoe 5| and the supply device 3| is a plate 53 (Figs. 1 and 8) which is fixed to the main vertical plate I5 and. has an arcuate face 54 which extends into the disc slots 26 for retaining the discs 24 in alignment in the feed disc notches 23 as they advance upwardly toward the shoe 5|.

Secured to the main vertical plate |5 below the disc supply device 30 (Figs. 1, 4 and 5) is a presser plate or shoe 5! having an inner curved face 58 at its upper end which gradually extends into a flat face 59 at its lower end. The face 58 is spaced from the line of advancement of the outer peripheries of the discs 24 at its upper end and gradually extends into the path of the disc peripheries and is so shaped that the discs nest therein and, thus, are retained in alignment in the positions they assumed when inserted in the feed disc notches 23 and against the conductor 25. In the advance of the discs 24 along the curved face 58 and the flat'face 59, they are progressively pressed onto the conductor 25 and the restricted portions 52 of the disc slots 26 being forced past the conductor, whereupon the discs will be firmly gripped thereon.

.In the apparatus above described, an even number of radial notches 23 are provided in the feed disc I8 and also of the cam lobes 22 on the cam disc I9 .and the number of cam lobes is onehalf the number of notches. Furthermore, the circumferential spacing between the notches 23 is the same as the desired spacing of the discs on the conductor 25. With this arrangement and with the cam lobes 22 shaped to impart the desired outward movement to the plungers 38 after being impelled inwardly by the action of the "springs -4'| and the correct displacement of the notches '23 relative to the cam lobes 22, it will be apparent that each time the right hand plunger 38 (Figs. 1 and 2) rides off the high point of an aligned cam lobe 22, a disc 24, with the open end of its notch facing outwardly, will be entered in alternately aligned notches 23 of the feed disc I8 which is continuously rotating at a suitable speed. Simultaneously with each actuation of the right hand plunger, the left hand plunger 38 is similarly actuated to enter a disc 25 with the open end of its notch facing inwardly in alternately aligned notches 23, such latter notches being the notches not loaded with discs by the right handplunger. Thus, the arrangement results, as shown in Fig. 9, in alternate discs 24 being arranged with their slots 25 diametrically opposite one another so that, upon a tubular conductor (not shown) being applied around the discs 24 in a following operation, the latter conductor will withstand the usual flexing and bending of the cable to which it may be subjected without distortion or breakdown. Furthermore, as the discs 24 advance upwardly after being inserted in alternate notches 23 of the feed disc I8 at the supply device 3|, they will be retained therein in alignment by the plate 53 and upon reaching the shoe 5|, they will be positively gripped to the conductor by the forcing or pressing of the conductor 21 into the slots of the discs by means of the shoe. Also, upon the discs 24 being inserted in the remaining alternate notches 23 of the feed disc l8 at the supply device 30, they will be maintained in alignment and progressively forced or pressed onto and gripped to the conductor 21 as they move downwardly from the supply device by means of the shoe 5?.

It will be understood that the embodiment herein described is merely illustrative of the invention and one application thereof and that modifications can be made and it is capable of other applications.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for applying radially slotted discs to a conductor comprising a single applicator wheel having spaced notches, means for guiding a conductor around a substantial portion of the periphery of said wheel, means for supplying discs to notches in said wheel at a point where it is not engaged by the conductor, means for supplying discs to other notches in said wheel at a point where it is engaged by the conductor, and means arranged at points following said before-mentioned points for pressing, respectively, the conductor into the slotted discs and the slotted discs onto the conductor.

2.. An apparatus for assembling radially slotted discs on a core comprising a rotatable feed disc having spaced radial peripheral notches for receiving discs, means for guiding a core around a substantial portion of the periphery of said feed disc, means for supplying and inserting discs with the open ends of the slots facing outwardly into alternate notches in said disc at a point where it is not engaged by the core, means for supplying and inserting discs with the open ends of the slots facing inwardly to other alternate notches in said disc at a point where it is engaged by the core, and means arranged at points following said before-mentioned points for pressing, respectively, the core into the slotted discs and the slotted discs onto the core.

3. An apparatus for assembling radially slotted discs on a core comprising a rotatable applicator wheel having spaced radial peripheral notches for receiving discs, means for guiding a core around a substantial portion of the periphery of said wheel, means for supplying and inserting discs with the open ends of the slots facing outwardly into alternate notches in said wheel at a point where it is not engaged by the core, means effective simultaneously therewith for supplying and inserting discs with the open ends of the slots facing inwardly to other alternate notches in said wheel at a point where it is engaged by the core, and stationary presser plates arranged in the path of the core and discs at points spaced from said before-mentioned points for pressing, respectively, the core into the slotted discs and the slotted discs onto the core.

4. An apparatus for assembling radially slotted discs on a core comprising a support, a feed wheel rotatable thereon about a horizontal axis and having spaced radial peripheral notches for receiving discs, means for guiding a core around a substantial portion of the periphery of said 'wheel, plungers carried on said support at opposed peripheral portions of said wheel, a cam rotatable with said wheel, means operated b said cam for moving said plungers simultaneously in one direction, means for moving said plungers simultaneously in opposite directions, means for supplying discs at points in the paths of said plungers with the slots of the discs in the path of one of said plungers facing outwardly and the slots of the discs in the path of said other plunger facing inwardly, each of the plungers in one of its movements simultaneously removing a disc from the supply means and entering it in a feed wheel notch, and means arranged in the path of the core and discs at points spaced from said beforementioned points for pressing, respectively, the core into the slotted discs and the slotted discs onto the core.

JULIUS A. WAGNER. 

